New Bradford Bulls boss Jimmy Lowes relishing return to former club Warrington

JIMMY Lowes admits opening his Bradford reign at his former club Warrington will make it an extra special occasion.

The new Bulls coach had a spell as Wolves head coach either side of stints as assistant to Paul Cullen and Tony Smith.

Lowes, by his own admission, made mistakes during his ten-month reign and was unseated when Smith arrived in March 2009.

But he has since worked for Leeds Rhinos, Leeds Carnegie and assisting former Bradford boss Steve McNamara in the England set-up.

Lowes said: “I had a fantastic time at Warrington and I loved it.

“It’s a brilliant club, it really is, and it’s well run with some excellent staff.

“There were some very good players there and going back there as head coach of Bradford does mean a lot.

“Coaching at Salford gave me a really good foundation and then I went on to Warrington, coaching different types of player, and working under Tony.

“Going on to Leeds and then working in the international set-up and moving onto Leeds Carnegie, I’ve worked with a full array of players.

“I’ve enjoyed all my experiences and I still speak to Tony now.”

The Bulls announced this week they are to fight their six-point deduction in the High Court but Lowes said: “Irrelevant of that, we’ve still got to do the business on the field.

“There are still ten games left but we’re also relying on Salford and Wakefield losing games as well. The biggest thing for us is fighting in every game.”

Lowes said he had been pleased with the quality and attitude of the squad that Francis Cummins left behind.

He added: “It’s been good. It’s been tough for the players with everything that has gone on here, not just over the past couple of weeks but last couple of years.

“They have been through a massively difficult period and that’s not going to suddenly change itself around on the flick of a switch.

“There has to be work put in to do that so there is no magic formula. It’s about hard work.”

Lowes said there was no prospect of adding to his squad before this weekend and suggested he may go with what he has got for the remainder of the season.

He said: “The players have got a real chance of showing what they are about and that’s all they need to do.

“I think the fans will see a change in performance. The boys have not to worry or go chasing but as long as they show fight and spirit, that will be massively important no matter what happens at the end of the year.

“I’ve had a couple of sessions with the players and I need to get to know them.

“They need to get to know me as well, which is as important as anything.”